


Bruises And Babies

by PeakyGirl



Series: Golden Eyes [1]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, F/M, Family, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Period-Typical Sexism, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22800994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeakyGirl/pseuds/PeakyGirl
Summary: Jane Hayes first met Arthur Shelby when she was twelve
Relationships: Arthur Shelby & Original Female Character(s), Arthur Shelby/Original Character(s), Arthur Shelby/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Golden Eyes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639144
Comments: 9
Kudos: 14





	Bruises And Babies

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first one shot in my series Golden Eyes which follows the Hayes family and Aurora as a child.

Jane first met Arthur Shelby when she was twelve, still only a child who was soon expected to become a woman. She didn’t feel like a woman, she still wanted to play with her friends and run about in the mud. You see Jane wasn’t your typical girl, she loved swearing, rough-housing, wrestling and climbing trees until her legs and fingers bled.   
Fed up of her boisterous behaviour and lack of obedience, her parents had continuously swiped her across the back of her bare legs, her Dads hindings were legendary yet it never seemed to affect Jane. She continued on as she always did, in fact she seemed to bring more trouble to herself than ever before and Jane loved it until her parents finally got a firm grip upon the child.   
  


Throughout her Mam’s pregnancy Jane had been forced to stay by her side to watch the little beast grow inside her. Her Mam had then began her lessons on what it was to be a true woman and what Jane would have to do in order to become one. Jane hated every moment of it and didn’t understand why she couldn’t carry on the way she had always done. Her brothers certainly did but Jane was born a girl, it was different according to her Dad.   
Truthfully Jane quite enjoyed being able to spend time with her Mam. Being busy with little Henry had taken away the time she had for her other children and Jane missed her. Perhaps if it wasn’t for her parents new rules, Jane might have enjoyed the last eight and a half months more.   
  


It had all came to a head the night before. Tired of being cooped up in the caravan while the other travelling children played, Jane had finally snapped and with an anger fit to shake the sky. She had cursed her Mam while throwing every object in sight towards the back wall before leaving the caravan shaking and bitter with a trail of mess behind her.   
Heavily pregnant and exhausted, Jane’s Mam followed her child outside in a bid to calm her. She was feeling guilty, she knew how horrible these months had been for Jane and maybe both her and her husband had pushed their child too far. She was only a child after all.   
  


Jane heard her Mam’s footsteps and picked up her pace until a loud cry of pain rang out through the air, freezing the angry child in place. The cry was something Jane had never heard before and feeling her terrified heart pounding within her ears Jane had clenched her fists and waited. 

Hearing the cry once again, Jane spun around on her toes and gasped in fright. Her Mam had collapsed onto the ground and was holding her arms around her clenched stomach as she cried out in agony.   
“ _ **MAM!**_ ” Jane had cried out running over to her side.   
Her anger had vanished and been replaced with a fear, stone cold fear.   
Jane felt water dripping on to her cheeks as she kneeled on the grass by her Mam and lifting up her hand, she found herself to be crying.   
“ _M’sorry Mam..M’..sor....sorry_ ” 

Hushing her quietly, Jane’s Mam had reached up and gently brushed away Jane’s tears.

” _Calm yourself my sweet love and go get some help, quickly now_ ” 

Jane had ran as fast as her legs could carry her to find her Dad but there was nothing to be done.

The little beast was coming and it was coming early.   
  


Now on a hot August day, Jane found herself stuck outside the caravan, unable to move as she stared into little Henry’s head. Her Mam’s screams had lasted throughout the night and wanting to be of support, Jane had sat by her head, wiping the sweat off her brow with loving words of encouragement. Her Dad was somewhere drinking, celebrating the soon to be birth of his fifth child.This would the last her parents had told her when they found out they were due another little beast.   
Jane had been doing well in supporting her Mam but the screams and the blood........

Well it was too much for Jane and taking in her ashen face and trembling form, Polly Gray had quickly sent the tearful girl outside.   
  
  


Another scream broke out startling both Jane and Henry who quickly dropped his wooden blocks and turned to Jane with a look of horror.   
“ _Why Mama scream Jane?_ ” He questioned innocently expecting answers from his sister who looked as scared as him.   
“Mama is having a baby Henry” Jane informed the child gripping at her knees so she wouldn’t bring her hands to cover her eyes.   
If Henry wasn’t, then she wouldn’t either especially not in front of him.   
“ _And it hurts her?_ ”   
Letting out a sigh, Jane crawled over to her brother and sat down beside him.   
“Yes Henry, it hurts very much” 

“Why?” He wondered after a few moments and not wanting to have the baby conversation with a three year old, Jane picked up a few of his blocks and smiled.   
“Let’s see how big we can make a tower ‘fore it falls Henry” 

With a large grin of excitement, Henry quickly forgot about his Mam’s screams and happily began to stack block on top of block, laughing each time they fell and hit Jane.   
  
  


After a while of playing, their Mam’s screams seemed to get louder and not wanting Henry to be plagued with night terrors Jane had convinced him to join her on a walk down to the little stream. The heat of the sun glaring down at them was unforgiving and Henry’s little body needed to be cooled down.  
As they walked towards the stream Jane spotted a boy sat by the edge, the tips of his shoes buried within the water. His knees were brought into his chest and his head placed inside. Even from a distance, Jane could see that the boy was trembling and picking Henry up, she quickly and quietly headed towards him until she was stood on the opposite side of the water looking over at him.   
She could hear his soft muffled cries as he cursed sadly into his legs, his hands pulling at his hair tightly until Jane was sure it would rip from the roots.   
  


“Dita!” Jane called out making him aware of her presence feeling slightly guilty for listening to him cry.

Hearing her voice he looked up at her causing Jane to gasp in surprise. She had seen his face before around camp, he wasn’t much older than Jane and had quickly stolen her friends upon arrival. He always appeared like a passing stranger who never spoke a word but smiled at anyone he came across. His family didn’t travel often, well not to Jane’s knowledge. She had only seen them a few times but they were the kind of family you knew were coming. Polly was one of theres, Jane didn’t know her either yet exchanged pleasantries now and then as her Mam adored the girl.

  
“What do you want?” he muttered wiping his eyes with one hand while the other cupped his bloody nose.   
He was in quite the state and taking in his swollen bruised eye and bleeding face, Jane couldn’t help but feel a sense of worry for the boy.   
“Wanted to see if you’re ‘orright” Jane replied giving him a sad smile as she bounced an irritated Henry.   
“M’fookin’ fine!” He spat out in reply waving her away but seeing more tears gathering in his eyes, Jane stepped through the shallow stream and walked over to him.   
Placing Henry on the floor, Jane sat next to the stranger and began to take Henry’s shoes off in silence before gently placing the boy in the water and watching him splash around in delight.   
  


“ _What happened?_ ” Jane whispered after a few moments, not taking her eyes from her little brother.   
“ _Me Dad likes a drink on the weekends_ ” the stranger informed Jane, shrugging like it was nothing and that she hadn’t just caught him crying.   
“ _And he does this...when he’s drunk?_ ” Jane was horrified as she saw him nod.   
“Not always....me Dad...he’s a good man, a good man!”   
Taking in his defensive tone Jane let out a sigh and pulled a small rag from her pocket.   
“M’sure he is, ‘ere, to clean the blood up” 

“Thank you erm?” He smiled slightly trying to figure out her name.   
“Jane and this is me little brother Henry, you?”

”Arthur” 

Holding out her hand Jane grinned as he happily accepted it. This is what Jane had been wanting all these months, someone to talk to, someone to interact with. She missed having people around her particularly people who were near her age.   
“Nice to meet you Arthur!”

  
Laying down in the grass, Jane rested her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes, enjoying the small breeze that cut through the blazing sun.   
“That woman had her baby yet? Can hear her screams across camp!” Arthur winced remembering how startled he had been the night before. The poor woman had kept him awake and while Arthur wished her good health, he didn’t want to hear her cries for much longer. He also wondered why Jane was here and not with the other women helping out while the men drank themselves silly until they were all in a state of unconsciousness.   
Letting out a laugh, Jane opened one eye and looked up at him.   
“No me Mam hasn’t had the little beast yet” Jane yawned bitterly.   
“Little beast? You don’t want another sibling?” He questioned seeing the disdain in her eyes.   
”No I don’t!”   
“Why not?”   
It shocked Arthur to see her turn so cold at the mention of a new baby. To Arthur there was nothing more rewarding than being a big brother to Tommy, John and little Ada. It was his job to protect and love his siblings and Arthur cherished this job more than anything in the world.   
  


“Ms Boswell says it’s a girl, never seen me Mam so happy but why does she need another girl. We were fine before, m’content with just having Henry. I don’t need another younger sibling, she’ll ruin everything! Me family doesn’t need no one else, we’re fine!” Jane protested sitting up and folding her arms across her chest like a misbehaving child.   
If her Dad were to hear such words he would clip her ears off and bury them in the soil below.   
“You’ll love her in time! A little sister to look up to you, you’ll be her world” Arthur offered trying to ease the situation. He wasn’t the smartest boy but he knew what jealousy looked like and Jane was certainly jealous of this new baby coming along and taking her place.   
  


“That’s the thing, I don’t want to love her!”   
It felt like a weight had been lifted off Jane’s shoulders as she finally said the words she had been wanting to say. She couldn’t possibly tell her parents this but she could tell Arthur.   
“You won’t be able to stop it” 

Letting out a sigh, it was Jane’s turn to bury her head in her legs. What a miserable summer it was turning out to be.   
“ _You’re right but I can at least try to not love her_ ”   
  


Jane had also tried not to love Henry but the child had quickly taken her heart. There was no room in there for another baby, not when Henry had it.   
Throwing an arm around her shoulders, Arthur gently hugged her, offering Jane whatever form of comfort he had.   
“You’ll be orright!” 

Jane knew this boy was special. He had been the one hurting and yet had put his own hurt a side to comfort a girl who was upset about a baby. She hadn’t been beat or bloodied like him and Jane felt bad for not helping Arthur like he was helping her.   
“ _Thank you Arthur_ ” 

“ **JANE! JANE!** ” A voice suddenly called out and looking up Jane saw her brother Christopher heading towards him with a beaming grin on his face.   
A sinking feeling settled deeply within Jane’s gut and starting to tremble she quickly picked Henry’s shoes up and got up from her spot on the floor.   
“ **Mam’s had the baby! Come on!** ”

And there it was!

The words she had been dreading to hear. The little beast had arrived like the devil rising up from the depths of hell.   
“Congratulations!” Arthur cheered coming to stand beside her.   
“Shut up! Come on Henry!” She sneered throwing him a glare as she picked Henry up from his place in the water.   
“Bye Jane, maybe we’ll see each other after you’ve kissed the head of your new sister” 

“I swear to god Arthur, I will drown you in this stream!”   
Letting out a loud huff, Jane made her way through the stream and back over to the other side where her brother waited patiently looking like his world had been lit up and filled with roses.   
  


“ **Nice meetin’ you Jane!** ” Arthur called out with a laugh. He hoped he would see her again. He liked this girl, she was funny. Her smile and short temper had quickly ridden Arthur of his own pain.   
Turning around with a smirk, Jane waved at her new bruised friend.   
“ **Nice to meet you too Arthur!** ”   
  


Jane looked around at all the smiling faces as she walked slowly into the caravan. It felt like her world had fallen apart at the seams. The only good thing to come out of this was the fact her parents would be now too busy to notice Jane slipping out to go be with her friends.   
She could see her Mam perched up on the bed looking tired, her cheeks rosy and hot as she smiled down at the little bundle within her arms.   
“ _Are you orright Mam?_ ” Jane whispered approaching the bed, resisting the urge to run and hide in the fields that surrounded them.   
“ _Yes sweetheart I’m perfectly fine, come meet your sister_ ” 

Her hand was stretched out and reaching for Jane, offering her the comfort she hadn’t known she needed until now. Her Mam’s hand was hot and slick with perspiration but Jane latched on tightly, unwilling to let go as she took her place on the bed and looked down.   
Jane managed to keep her face straight despite wanting to break out in laughter.   
It was an ugly little pig, a bitti grunter.   
It squealed like one too and gently patting it’s swelled little cheek, Jane looked up at her Mam with a frown on her face.   
“What’s its name?” She asked unimpressed by the squealing pink creature wriggling within her Mam’s arms.   
  


“Aurora, Aurora Elizabeth Hayes, would you like to hold her?” Her Mam cooed gently rocking the beast back to sleep and before Jane could refuse she had been handed the little squished up pig.   
  


Gently running her fingers under Aurora’s chin, Jane found herself unable to stop smiling.   
No!

She couldn’t! She couldn’t like this baby!

There was no love left in her heart....was there?   
  
“ _Welcome to the world bitti grunter_ ” She whispered praying no one had heard except her and the beast.   
Perhaps having a sister wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Dita - Hello  
> Bitti grunter - little pig 
> 
> You do not know the trouble I had with this one. I had written it all and my iPad crashed. I lost everything and was tempted not to write it again but here we are.


End file.
